alpinisto's blog

In 2015 I had been able to participate in the International Wrestling Camp, organised in Lindow by the Berlin wrestling club of Einsteiger, and as I had the chance to go there again this year I grabbed the opportunity to spend the Pentecost weekend in Lindow. Back in 2015 I had been delayed during the ride to Berlin, but this time I was in time and therefore could make use of all six training sessions in the camp. I had never had six training sessions in just a weekend, so this alone would be a challenge for me. But I started Friday afternoon and then I would see how it went.

I had signed in for the Intermediate group, but in the last moment I switched to the beginner's group. For even though I had been wrestling for more than two years I didn't feel experienced enough to be intermediate. For I have had too long pauses between the sessions, so I've always felt that I would have to start all over again when I wrestled. Therefore my opponents also seem to regard me as more experienced than I do myself, in spite of my 48 previous opponents. Though maybe this was my own impression, for with the few fights I had had I hardly would notice it if I was getting better. Maybe this camp could give me an insight in this?

The Friday afternoon training session gave me a good introduction to the Freestyle wrestling which is done in the Einsteiger club. I know there are different styles in wrestling, but I have always just been wrestling because I liked it and have a feeling that it is good for the recovery of my body. One of the things we practised during this session was how to force the opponent to open up from the Referee position, and this was something I remembered from the 2015 camp. But in the next session on Saturday it became a bit more advanced if the opponent was lying flat on his belly. For every time I tried I was about to put my opponent in a stranglehold, which is not allowed in Freestyle. So this just made it more confusing for me.

For the wrestling on Saturday I was matched with the Parisien guy Patrick and he was more to my age and also seemed to be more experienced. Which maybe also was one reason why I was unable to flip him from the Referee position. His experience also showed that while he immediately knew how the elements should be made I needed considerably longer time. After the three first sessions and thus half way through the camp a list of the elements so far was put on a noticeboard. And then I realised that I had only been able to do half the elements we had practised so far. Like continue the building of a house before the foundation is ready.

Even though I only had been able to practise half the elements so far the training continued and new elements were added. Thus on Sunday we practised the first body throw: the shoulder throw. I was a bit anxious that maybe my legs would not be able to support the weight if I was to lift my opponent on top of my own weight, especially after my knees had collapsed under me when wrestling the previous month. But even if I was not able to do the throw proper I could feel that the movement seemed logical for me, so if only I could get the strength back in my knees I would also be able to do this. And I soon found out that this also would be needed, for when I practised with my roommate he landed with his 300+lbs body on my right arm!

In the afternoon session I was matched with Terry from London. He didn't have any rush and with him I was able to split the throw up in segments so I could train it bit by bit and right now avoid the parts that my knees were not ready for yet. With my physio at home I had made a change in my exercises after last month's collapse during wrestling, and I could feel that this would help me so I rather soon would be able to do the throw fully.

So after I had felt a bit depressed following the Saturday realization that I only could do half the elements we had practised during the camp, I now had the feeling that it wasn't so bad at all. And during the last session on Monday we were introduced to another throw with a backside attack to the opponent's legs with my shoulders. And this seemed that I was able to do even though I had to bend down in my knees to do this. Though I found it a bit dangerous to dive with my head in between my opponent's legs to push him over with my shoulders. I could not avoid thinking of the danger of getting my head between my opponent's legs, for then he rather easily would be able to headscissor me!

Yet I was not headscissored when I did this, and thinking about it subsequently, it dawned on me that I had not seen any scissors being done at all. Which I found a bit strange, as I had always found scissors a good thing as the legs have the strongest muscles of the body, and mine used to be quite good following the many years I had had as a mountain climber and a marathon runner. I discussed this with one of the trainers after the camp and then was told that scissors were not allowed in Freestyle wrestling! Which was a bit sad to hear, but on the other hand I had not felt the need to make use of scissors during the Open Mat sessions. And this way I probably have learned more new techniques than if I had 'just' been doing my scissors.

It had been good to participate in this International Wrestling Camp again, even though my right arm now looked as if it had been run over by a steam roller. I knew that within a week or so I would love to have the chance to practice again - which I can't do as for me Berlin is too far away. At least I hope that I maybe can remember a bit of it when I get to wrestle again. Which maybe already can be later this month when I go to Dresden.